For most of us, doing laundry is a necessary evil. It’s the household chore that demands to be done but few care to spend the time and energy doing it.
Napoleon Lasu of the New Cush Laundry Mart understands that sentiment and is here to help.
“I first reflected on myself as the father of five kids,” says Lasu. “[My wife and I] are both working and sometimes things become very overwhelming to both of us. We need some rest, we need to do laundry, we need to cook, we need to have fun with the kids… Sometimes I even see in my own house that laundry is not getting done. I figured out that if we can have someone to do the laundry for us, that would relieve a little bit and would create some time for the family.”
His new laundry business is located at 9 Heritage Trail in Niverville and, for now, includes six Maytag washing machines, six Maytag dryers, and a large folding station. His hope, in the very near future, is to add a few supersized machines and a dry-cleaning service.
Currently, Lasu’s machines can handle loads large enough for a queen-size quilt. Customers can come in and do their own laundry—or he will do it for them for a nominal fee. He also offers pickup and delivery services to Niverville and surrounding communities.
A medium load of clothes, between five to ten pounds, can be washed and dried by the customer for just $8. If a customer chooses to simply drop off their laundry, Lasu charges an additional $5 which includes detergent, softeners, and laundry folding.
“If your load is between 10 to 20 pounds, that’s a large load,” Lasu says. “If you were to do it yourself, that would cost you about $14 because you’re going to use four machines… If you were to leave it with me, I will wash it and dry it and fold it for you… I will charge you an extra $6 and that includes [the products I use].”
Lasu’s machines aren’t coin-operated, which means the customer gets longer run times for less money. Coin laundry machines, he says, charge $3.75 for 35 minutes of washing or drying, costing the customer more in the end because 35 minutes is never enough to adequately wash or dry a load. His washers provide 45 minutes of wash time and up to 90 minutes of drying time for one low cost.
“A couple of days ago, somebody came here and said, ‘Napoleon, I never thought I was going to use your machines… but my machine broke two days ago and I needed to do laundry badly,’” Lasu says with a grin. “That [put] a smile on his face. When you see someone coming with desperation to do laundry and you become a relief for them, that [puts] a smile on my face, too. And I believe that I’m going to put a smile on lots of people’s faces. You might not need me now because your machine is working at home, but once your machine breaks and you don’t have that budget ready, then you’re going to have to look for me and when you come you’ll put a smile on my face.”
While his hope was to open with full laundry and dry-cleaning services, renovations to the building he’s in exceeded his initial budget and temporarily slowed the process. He’s hopeful that, with enough support from the community and surrounding area, he’ll soon be able to achieve his dream and add dry-cleaning services.
“If I can bring a [dry-cleaning business] here, that would help me to sustain this place and that’s how I look at it,” says Lasu.
In the meantime, he encourages locals to drop by, say hello, and offer suggestions on what he can add to the business to make it more beneficial for everyone.
Falling in Love with Niverville
This is Lasu’s first foray into self-employment. The dream of opening a business like this one began about five years ago. Niverville became his location of choice when he lived in the community for five years and fell in love with the people and community as a whole.
“I appreciate the people in Niverville,” Lasu says. “They are very friendly and easy to get along with. It is a very secure community. That’s why I feel good about Niverville… I never felt that my children were at risk in this community. It’s very peaceful.”
Unfortunately, Lasu needed to move his family to Dominion City to find more affordable housing while he started his new business. Apart from the laundromat, Lasu has also been a six-year employee of the Niverville Heritage Personal Care Home, working the night shift.
Lasu says he learned his skills with laundry from a South African woman while he was living as an asylum-seeker in Egypt. He’s been in Canada for ten years now, having escaped the political unrest in his home country of Sudan.
While in Egypt awaiting his refugee acceptance, he worked as an office assistant and company translator. Since coming to Canada, he’s gained his legal Canadian citizenship and couldn’t be more proud of the country he now calls home.
“Come to me,” Lasu says of his new business plan. “I just want to say to the customers out there, please, I need your support. If you feel that your [laundry] is overwhelming, bring some clothes for me and with the $5, $10, $15 dollars, you keep me going. And then one day you will really need me and you will find me around here… I would like to prove my services so that I can stay here and put more smiles on people’s faces.”
